10 Tips for Creating Your Adoption Profile Book

Jul 20, 2021
3 min read

Updated: Feb 20, 2025

Creating an adoption profile book is a key part of the domestic infant adoption process in the U.S. It serves as your opportunity to introduce yourself to expectant parents, giving them a sense of who you are and what kind of home you can provide. Here are 7 tips to help you create an engaging, thoughtful adoption profile book:

1. Tell Your Story with Honesty and Heart

Share who you are as a person, what led you to pursue adoption, and why you're passionate about growing your family. Be genuine, highlighting your values, interests, and the loving home you wish to offer. Expectant parents want to connect with you on an emotional level, so focus on what makes you unique and show your compassion to woman reading your story.

2. Include a Variety of Photos

Choose photos that show you in different settings—at home, outdoors, at family gatherings, and doing activities you enjoy. Include images of your home, pets, and any family members who will be involved in the child’s life. This helps create a fuller picture of the environment the child will grow up in.

3. Show Your Support System

Adoptive parents don't just adopt as individuals—they’re often joining a network of supportive family and friends. Showcase how your family and friends support your decision to adopt, such as photos of family gatherings, celebrations, and people who will be part of the child's life. It reassures expectant parents that their child will be surrounded by love!

4. Describe Your Values and Parenting Approach

Be clear about the values you plan to instill in the child and your parenting philosophy. This may include your thoughts on discipline, education, cultural traditions, faith, and activities you want to do together as a family. Expectant parents want to know that you’ll provide a nurturing and stable environment for their child.

5. Emphasize Openness to an Ongoing Relationship

Many expectant parents are interested in maintaining contact with the adoptive family. If you are open to it, express your willingness to have an open adoption and outline what that might look like (letters, pictures, occasional visits, etc.). Being transparent about your comfort level with this can help build trust with expectant parents.

6. Create a Welcoming Tone

The profile book should feel welcoming and warm, so be mindful of your tone. While you want to share your personality, make sure the book is inviting and doesn’t feel like a résumé. Avoid sounding too formal or too rehearsed—just be yourself, and let your warmth and kindness shine through.

7. Be Concise and Organized

While it’s important to be detailed, it’s equally important to keep things clear and easy to read. Use a simple, organized layout with a balance of photos and text. Avoid overwhelming the reader with too much information—focus on key elements of your life, home, and family that will resonate with expectant parents.

Ultimately, your adoption profile book is about creating a heartfelt connection with the birth parents. It's a reflection of your family and the love and care you want to provide to the child. Keeping it personal, honest, and reflective of who you are as a family will make a lasting impression. Photos always help do this the best, so make sure your book is more photo centered than text centered!

8. Honor the Woman Looking Through the Pages

When you are presenting your book, the woman looking through the pages is still an expectant mother. She has not yet placed her baby for adoption and is still deciding. Therefore she is not yet a birth mother. So, honor her by understanding this and leaving out birth mother language

from your book.

9. Do not include any contact information

Do you not include your address, telephone number, and I would even go as far as not including your last names. We do not include any of these things in the books we create. We also make sure anything that may give away this information is removed from photos such as, address numbers on homes, sports tshirts with city names or teams, etc.

10. Keep everything updated

Keep your profile book updated with recent photos, milestones, and changes in your life. Expectant parents will want to know what’s new in your life, so update the profile as your family grows or experiences new adventures. Make sure everything included is recent in the last year or two.